Colin Quinn stands out in comic crowd

Wednesday

It’s difficult for New York comics to agree on anything. However, there is a common denominator for a bunch of Gotham humorists, an admiration for Colin Quinn.

Quinn is the godfather of New York comedy. Comics, such as Jim Norton, Paul Mecurio and Tony Rock, who cut their teeth in Manhattan, speak with reverence when mentioning Quinn.

“Colin is so underrated,” comedian Dave Attell says. “He should get much more credit. If you want to see a New York comic, it’s Colin Quinn.”

During the dawn of the century Attell and Quinn each hosted cult hits on the Comedy Central network. “Insomniac” was the former’s vehicle and “Tough Crowd” was the latter’s entertaining and unpredictable program, in which Quinn verbally jousted with his comic peers.

“I had more fun than anyone could imagine with “Tough Crowd,” Quinn says. “It was a dream job. But you do this long enough, you learn that not much lasts on television.”

Quinn, 58, has a long television resume starting with MTV’s amusing game show, “Remote Control.” A generation ago Quinn, who played the grizzled sidekick on “Remote Control,” stole many a show. Quinn was the “Weekend Update” anchor on “Saturday Night Live” during the late ‘90s, and has appeared in the films “Trainwreck,’ “A Night at the Roxbury” and “Grown Ups.”

“Somehow I’ve picked up all of this television and film work,” he says. “Who knows how that happened?”

But Quinn is arguably at his best while presenting one-man shows. “There’s One In Every Crowd” is his latest effort, which will be rendered Friday at the Musikfest Cafe and Jan. 12 at the Valley Forge Casino.

The title is a reference to well, the jerks, who are typically a part of many gatherings. “I’ve always enjoyed the one-man show concept,” Quinn says. “I guess it goes back to my early days of stand-up.”

But what separates Quinn’s provocative shows and stand-up is depth. “Colin Quinn: An Irish Wake,” which marked his Broadway debut in 1998, was hilarious and poignant. “My Two Cents,” which focused on America’s economic crisis, followed in 2009. “Colin Quinn: A Long Story Short” hit Broadway in 2010. The show, which was directed by his pal Jerry Seinfeld, chronicled prehistoric times to the present focusing on various world empires. “Unconstitutional,” which debuted in 2013, covered America’s constitution and its impact on America’s psyche. 2015’s “The New York Story” was about the metamorphosis of Quinn’s hometown.

“I’m comfortable with the form of these type of shows,” Quinn says. “I like having a theme and going forward with it.”

He enjoys the do-it-yourself approach but he appreciated it when Seinfeld directed “A Long Story Short” and “The New York Story.”

“It’s good to work with someone who really knows comedy and that’s Jerry,” Quinn says. “I enjoy doing things on my own but with the type of one-man shows I do, I need some help. Jerry is amazing. Jerry is very choosy and he has a right to be.”

Who knows what Quinn’s next one-man show will be? “There is so much fodder out there in New York, around the country and around the world,” Quinn says. “Material for me is endless.”

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